I loved New York when I moved here in 1969. I loved the noise. I loved the grimy subways. I loved the “always openness”. Because it put me next door to art of all kinds and to super-driven, intellectual people. I was normal in New York. Something I had never been before.

Now I am packing up to move out of town. It’s an adjustment that’s taken some work. But I’ve been unhappy living here for almost a decade now. The city has changed. Development has brought crowded streets and stressed out people bumping into each other. The creative underbelly that made the city unique has all but disappeared. Commercial success and box-office draw trump creativity and emerging artists. I have begun to feel that my tribe has packed up and moved elsewhere.

As I prepare to leave, I have begun to seek out city experiences that still have meaning. This past week my friend MIHO and I went to the Old Town Bar for an old-fashioned cheeseburger and fries. I hadn’t been there for years but I found it just as I left it last — high-end neighborhood bar food in a cozy-casual environment.

There used to be really good neighborhood bars all over town. Gathering places for the locals with good food and good draft beer. Gradually they have been replaced by gourmet bistros with fancy touches and a pre-determined table turnover schedule. Dining out has become a play and the customer serves as audience for their dinner. No more the local drinking holes that inspired Cheers … except at the Old Town Bar on 18th Street (and OOTOYA which I wrote about a few weeks ago).

I have a few weeks left. My search for the old New York continues. I will let you know what I discover.